Soft Growth: Space Optimization without new Construction

Attending the SCUP 2014 Southern Regional Conference: Inquiry + Imagination + Innovation = I3 this fall? Check out our session on space optimization without new construction.

The continuous evolution of universities’ academic programs creates constant pressure to expand and modify their teaching and research space. Today, institutions that used to rely on new construction increasingly seek ways to enable this change within the constraints of their existing buildings. Using the example of a recent space planning effort by a major public university, the session will introduce the concept of “Soft Growth” – the ability to improve space and expand capacity without new construction – and define the strategies, tools and techniques that make it possible.

The new reality in which colleges and universities operate today requires a new strategy, one that requires more rigorous inquiry, poses different questions and utilizes different planning techniques. This presentation will introduce a distinctive set of techniques for observing, measuring, modeling, comparing, and analyzing existing facilities and their use. Insights developed during this phase are essential to the success of a “soft growth” strategy.

Details
Monday, October 20, 2014 | 2:30 pm – 3:30 pm

Speakers:
Leon Drachman, AIA (PAYETTE)
Dean R. Appling, PhD (University of Texas at Austin)